Differences in one's own and one's partner's perceptions of social skills as a function of attachment style

Two studies focused on attachment‐style differences in people's social skills. Study 1 had a sample of 237 students who completed questionnaires assessing their own attachment styles and social skills (based on Riggio's six dimensions of social skill). Study 2, which focused on partner‐reports, used data from 258 couples to determine whether people's perceptions of a partner's social skill would vary based on the partner's self‐reported attachment style. The results revealed attachment‐style differences in various social skills across self‐and partner‐reports; however, these differences were generally less robust for partner‐reports. Differences in self‐reported social skill were consistent with Bartholomew's two‐factor conceptualization of attachment. Dismissive and fearful individuals rated themselves as relatively antisocial and unexpressive, in line with their negative models of others; preoccupied and fearful individuals rated themselves as overly sensitive, in line with their negative models of self. Preoccupied individuals were also perceived as the most socially sensitive by their partners, and across all the analyses, secures were ostensibly the most socially skilled.     

Age and intergroup differences in attitudes toward the teaching profession: How do teachers and students view themselves and each other?

Differences in attitudes toward the profession were determined among samples of teachers varying in CA and between teachers and students enrolled in teacher education programs. The students rated items reflecting “altruistic” and “pragmatic” needs met by teaching in terms of their importance in selecting teaching as a career and in terms of the way they perceived experienced teachers would rate them. The teachers rated the items in terms of their importance in their present teaching career and as they thought current students would rate them. The results indicated the absence of age differences in attitudes among the teacher samples. However both objective (self) and perceived intergroup differences in attitudes were found between the student and teacher samples. These results provide strong support for Neugarten's hypothesis that differences in the behavior and attitudes of adults reflect changes in social states rather than developmental differences and that the hypothesis can be generalized both to self and perceived intergroup differences in attitudes.     

A personal connection: Promoting positive attitudes towards teaching and learning

Students' attitudes towards teaching and learning must be addressed with the same seriousness and effort as we address content. Establishing a personal connection and addressing our students' basic psychological needs will produce positive attitudes towards teaching and learning and develop life‐long learners. It will also promote constructive student‐teacher relationships that have a profound influence on our students' approach towards school. To begin this process, consider the major tenets of the Self‐Determination Theory. The Self‐Determination Theory of human motivation focuses on our students' innate psychological needs and the degree to which an individual's behavior is self‐motivated and self‐determined. Faculty can satisfy the innate psychological needs by addressing our students' desire for relatedness, competence and autonomy. Relatedness refers to our students' need to feel connected to others, to be a member of a group, to have a sense of communion and to develop close relationships with others. Competence is believing our students can succeed_, challenging them to do so and imparting that belief in them. Autonomy involves considering the perspectives of the student and providing relevant information and opportunities for student choice and initiating and regulating their own behaviors. Establishing a personal connection and addressing our students' basic psychological needs will improve our teaching, inspire and engage our students and promote positive attitudes towards teaching and learning while reducing competition and increasing compassion. These are important goals because unless students are inspired and motivated and have positive attitudes towards teaching and learning our efforts will fail to meet their full potential. Anat Sci Educ 10: 503–507. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.     

小学教师职后学习动机与途径的调查研究

运用问卷调查对232名小学教师职后学习动机与学习途径进行探讨。结果表明：小学教师的学习动机以获得知识型、自我实现型和适应社会型为主，最常用的学习途径是与同事日常交流、校内听课、教学反思等；小学教师的学习途径与学习动机之间存在显著相关。但是，不同类型的小学教师职后学习动机和学习途径方面都表现出了程度不同的显著差异。     

High School Teachers' Motivational Perceptions and Strategies in an East Asian Nation

This study investigated the relationships between teachers' self‐reported classroom goal structures, instructional self‐perceptions, teaching efficacy, and perceptions of students' motivation in a developing East Asian nation. This study's participants were 404 teachers, across subject areas, in 14 high schools in an East Asian nation. Similar studies have been conducted in western nations, but these cannot be generalised to the East Asian cultural context without direct research. The following teacher perceptions correlated strongly with perceptions of student motivation: learning goal orientations; student ability; instrumentality of instruction; and high teaching self‐efficacy. Among these related factors, learning goals and ability emerged as the strongest predictors of perceived student motivation. Teachers interviewed reported that their students' motivation is primarily extrinsic and performance‐oriented, influenced by external factors, predominantly exam pressure and social expectations. These findings have important implications for teacher education and practice, and for school policy and educational reform.     

Motor Development in School‐Aged Children With Down Syndrome: a longitudinal perspective

Movement is life! Motor development plays an essential role in the development of all children. From their earliest years, the attainment of motor milestones and the proficient development of motor skills provide the basis for the many other areas of development. Effective and efficient movement enhances confidence and has been shown to contribute to self‐concept and self‐worth. Little is known about the development of motor proficiency in individuals with Down syndrome beyond their early childhood. This study was designed to investigate motor development in school‐aged children to provide a more comprehensive picture of motor development into adolescence. The study was undertaken over 10 years in Brisbane, Australia, with a group of children involved in the Schonell Research Centre longitudinal study into Down syndrome. Results showed that the children's motor proficiency continued to progress into adolescence and that there were a wide range of inter‐ and intra‐individual differences in their skill levels and rates of progress.     

Cultural differences in Chinese American and European American children's drawing skills over time

Parents and early childhood teachers in Chinese societies and the United States have had dissimilar views about appropriate art instruction for young children. The Chinese view is that creativity will emerge after children have been taught essential drawing skills. The American view has been that children's drawing skills emerge naturally and that directive teaching will stifle children's creativity. Forty second-generation Chinese American and 40 European American young children participated in this longitudinal study at ages 5, 7, and 9 to explore possible cultural differences in and antecedents of their drawing skills and creativity. Chinese American children's person drawings were more mature and creative and their parents reported more formal ways of fostering creativity as compared to their European American counterparts. Correlations showed that children who had more opportunities to draw and who received more guidance in drawing were more advanced in their drawing. For Chinese Americans, fathers’ personal art attitudes and children's Time 1 drawing skills predicted 53% of the variance in children's drawing scores four years later.     

Planned educational change in Japan: the case of elementary science instruction

Available evidence suggests that Japanese elementary science education has shifted, in recent decades, away from lecture‐style, rote ‘teaching as telling’ toward ‘teaching for understanding’. How has this change been accomplished? Drawing on our ongoing study of innovations in Japanese elementary science instruction, we describe three features of the Japanese system that may facilitate planned change. First, we describe Japan's broad national goals for elementary education and the alignment of textbooks with these goals. We point out that Japan's national goals focus on the whole child (social, ethical and intellectual development), a breadth which, we speculate, may reduce the kind of pendulum swings between goals of academic and social development that have plagued some other countries’ educational policies. In addition, we note that the national goals are abstract and are translated into classroom practice through the collaborative work of teachers. Second, we describe three routes through which the national goals are translated into classroom practice: research lessons, teachers’ research groups, and national elementary schools. Finally, we speculate on some elements of the educational context (for example, collaborative habits and norms, beliefs about the pace and nature of change, and the practice of self‐critical reflection) that may support planned educational change in Japan.     

DELINQUENCY AND THE SCHOOLS

Primary teachers in their first year of teaching, and two groups of students in their final year of university, were surveyed in order to determine the nature of attitude changes during teacher education and in the first teaching year. One group of students was followed into its first year of teaching. The attitudes of the trainee teachers and novices were contrasted with those of experienced teachers and non‐education students over a two‐year period, using a semantic differential instrument.

The overall finding was that Lortie's contention that the attitudes of American teachers are based on their own early experiences as pupils in school holds for Australian teachers also. While there was some change in student attitudes during the final university year, towards the ‘progressive’ orientations of the university course, this orientation did not persist far into the first year of teaching.     

Thinking Long Term: Physical Education's Role in Movement and Mobility

This paper addresses the role of physical education in promoting physical activity and mobility. It is assumed that attitude is an important component that influences physical activity and, ultimately, mobility. A variety of factors and the way they impact children's attitudes toward physical education are discussed. In particular, the outcomes of physical education, motor skill development and student skill level, and student attitude are presented. The factors that influence student skill development and attitude are interrelated and occur over many years both in and out of school. I conclude that to promote physical activity, physical education must address attitude and be enjoyable.     

Urban African‐American middle school science students: Does standards‐based teaching make a difference?

The current reform movement in science education promotes standards‐based teaching, including the use of inquiry, problem solving, and open‐ended questioning, to improve student achievement. This study examines the influence of standards‐based teaching practices on the achievement of urban, African‐American, middle school science students. Science classes of teachers who had participated in the professional development (n = 8) of Ohio's statewide systemic initiative (SSI) were matched with classes of teachers (n = 10) who had not participated. Data were gathered using group‐administered questionnaires and achievement tests that were specifically designed for Ohio's SSI. Analyses indicate that teachers who frequently used standards‐based teaching practices positively influenced urban, African‐American students' science achievement and attitudes, especially for boys. Additionally, teachers' involvement in the SSI's professional development was positively related to the reported use of standards‐based teaching practices in the classroom. The findings support the efficacy of high‐quality professional development to change teaching practices and to enhance student learning. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 37: 1019–1041, 2000     

Attitudes and self‐efficacy of pre‐service teachers towards inclusion in Pakistan

This study sought to determine the attitudes and teaching self‐efficacy of pre‐service teachers towards the inclusion of students with disabilities into regular classrooms. A questionnaire was administered to 194 pre‐service Pakistani teachers (male 73, female 121) enrolled in a 1‐year teacher education programme at a government university in Pakistan. Overall, male pre‐service teachers expressed more positive attitudes than their female counterparts regarding the inclusion of students with disabilities in regular classrooms. Surprisingly, those pre‐service teachers majoring in special education did not express more positive attitudes towards inclusion than their counterparts who were preparing to teach in mainstream schools. However, participants with training in special education, knowledge of disability legislation, teaching experience and personal experience with a disability reported higher levels of self‐efficacy towards teaching within inclusive settings. The findings of the study are discussed with possible implications for policy‐makers and teacher educators in Pakistan and other countries in the South Asian region.     

Community Reciprocity in the Work of African‐American Teachers

The scholarship on historical and contemporary African‐American teachers highlights the emphasis on community connections in their work. As such, the scholarship portrays African‐American teachers almost exclusively as givers without fully considering what teachers derive from community connections. This paper describes a qualitative study in which intergenerational African‐American teachers illustrate the dual nature of community connections and the ways in which constructs of community informed their work. Three distinct points along the professional spectrum—entry, career development, and long‐term career trajectories—illuminate the ways in which community reciprocity impacts and informs the teachers under study. Study findings elucidated a communal reciprocity in that community connections influenced professional entry contributed to feelings of personal and professional self‐worth and impacted long‐term career goals.     

A Developmental Perspective on the Role of Motor Skill Competence in Physical Activity: An Emergent Relationship

Although significant attention has been paid to promoting the importance of physical activity in children, adolescents, and adults, we do not currently understand how to promote sustained physical activity levels throughout the lifespan. We contend that previous research has failed to consider the dynamic and synergistic role that motor skill competence plays in the initiation, maintenance, or decline of physical activity and how this role might change across developmental time. In this article, we present a conceptual model hypothesizing the relationships among physical activity, motor skill competence, perceived motor skill competence, health-related physical fitness, and obesity. We contend that the development of motor skill competence is a primary underlying mechanism that promotes engagement in physical activity.     

多元文化素养:教师专业发展的时代要求

多元文化素养是多元文化时代教师所必须具备的重要素质。培养教师的多元文化素养已成为多元文化教育理念下教师教育探讨的核心问题。未来教师必须具备一定的多元文化知识、态度及技能才能胜任其所面对的具有多元文化特征的教育教学工作。文章从知识目标、态度和情感目标、技能目标三个方面审视多元文化教育理念下教师应具备的多元文化素养,以帮助我们更深入地了解其内涵。     

Who dares to disconnect in the age of uncertainty? Teachers’ recesses and ‘off‐the‐clock’ work

In 1999, all student teachers at secondary I level at the University of Bern who had to undertake an internship were asked to participate in a study on learning processes during practicum: 150 students and their mentors in three types of practicum participated—introductory practicum (after the first half‐year of studies), intermediate practicum (after two years of studies) and final practicum (after three years of studies). At the end of the practicum, student teachers and mentors completed questionnaires on preparing, teaching and post‐processing lessons. All student teachers, additionally, rated their professional skills and aspects of personality (attitudes towards pupils, self‐assuredness and well‐being) before and after the practicum. Forty‐six student teachers wrote daily semi‐structured diaries about essential learning situations during their practicum.

Results indicate that in each practicum students improved significantly in preparing, conducting and post‐processing lessons. The mentors rated these changes as being greater than did the student teachers. From the perspective of the student teachers their general teaching skills also improved, and their attitudes toward pupils became more open. Furthermore, during practicum their self‐esteem and subjective well‐being increased. Diary data confirmed that there are no differences between different levels of practicum in terms of learning outcomes, but give some first insight into different ways of learning during internship.     

Assessing Teachers' Beliefs about Their Science Teaching Context

The primary purpose of this study was to develop and apply a method for assessing teachers' context beliefs about their science teaching environment. Interviews with 130 purposefully selected teachers resulted in 28 categories of environmental factors and/or people who were perceived to influence science teaching. These categories were used to develop items for the Context Beliefs about Teaching Science instrument and provided evidence for content validity. Construct validity was partially confirmed through factor analysis that resulted in 26 items and two subscales on the final instrument. Using Ford's Motivation Systems Theory and Bandura's Theory of Collective Efficacy, additional evidence for construct validity was found in the modest correlation of context beliefs with outcome expectancy beliefs and the low correlation with science teaching self‐efficacy beliefs. The instrument was tested using 262 teachers participating in long‐term science professional development programs. These teachers possessed fairly positive context beliefs and, according to Ford's theory, should be capable of effective functioning in the classroom. It was concluded that the assessment of context beliefs would complement current science teacher self‐efficacy measures, thereby allowing researchers to develop profiles of science teachers' personal agency belief patterns. It could also be used to determine the factors which predict particular personal agency belief patterns, and assess teachers' perceptions of the strengths and weaknesses of school science programs, and could be used in planning and monitoring professional development experiences for science teachers. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 37: 275–292, 2000.     

Middle childhood,poverty, and adjustment: Does social support have an impact?

The present study evaluated 64 children and their primary caregivers who were living in poverty. The children were administered a stress measure, a social support measure, and a measure of self‐esteem. Caregivers completed a stress measure, a measure of child adjustment, and a demographic questionnaire. Social support was not found to moderate the relationship between stress and child outcome. However, social support was found to be one possible mediator of the child's reported stress on their self‐esteem. According to the mediating model, enhancing children's social support may positively influence their self‐esteem. Greater levels of self‐esteem can affect many aspects of children's lives, such as improving school performance and efforts toward achieving goals. Because of the important role that social support can play on children's self‐esteem, social support should be actively promoted through school and community groups and organizations, especially with children from disadvantaged economic situations. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

UNIVERSITY TEACHING AS A SERMON RITUAL ‐‐ A FIELD STUDY

This paper describes an investigation of the teaching in all available classes at the Institute of Psychology of the University of Aarhus. Classes were observed for pedagogical structuring and interaction. The students and the teachers filled out separate questionnaires concerning their backgrounds, their study activities, their attitudes, their morale, and their experience of and activities in the teaching process, as well as an evaluation of their teaching and its outcome.

In addition to a substantial drop‐out rate, there was a striking absence of students in classes, a moderate rate of participation, and an equally moderate amount of study activity on the part of the students. The teaching activities were uniform and predictable; the social interaction involved has a sermon ‐‐ like character; the investment, satisfaction, and benefits to the students were reduced. A deeper understanding of the phenomenon is sought through an analysis of organizational patterns and interests (antagonistic or colliding) at three systemic levels. The meta‐learning or hidden curriculum of the teaching seems to be one of fulfilling latent goals or functions that might have invalidating consequences for the qualification process.     

Identifying and promoting social competence with African American preschool children: Developmental and contextual considerations

School psychologists and teachers are frequently asked to assess the level of social competence of preschool children as one indicator of their academic readiness. However, many assessment instruments available to psychologists working in early childhood settings fail to consider important contexts where children acquire social competencies. This study presents a comprehensive picture of multiple constructs that play a role in understanding African American preschool children's social competence. Domains of temperament, language, self‐regulation, and peer play were assessed within a classroom context for a sample of 139 low‐income African American children attending Head Start. Findings support the importance of considering both children's developmental stage and their gender when evaluating aspects of social competence, particularly temperament and interactive peer play abilities. As a group, younger boys experienced the greatest difficulties with initiating and sustaining play activities with classmates. Language abilities and self‐regulation were significantly greater among older preschool children. Implications for school psychologists conducting preschool assessment, intervention, and outreach to parents and teachers within early childhood settings are discussed. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.